


Cultural Exchange

by InfraVioletUltraRed



Series: From Radish Farmer to the Zora Royal Consort [9]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 21:50:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14756945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfraVioletUltraRed/pseuds/InfraVioletUltraRed
Summary: As Reader and Sidon settle into married life, he teaches them Zora history and archery skills so his new spouse may better blend in culturally. But there's one other thing they may have to do...





	Cultural Exchange

**Author's Note:**

> I liked the story of the white scale. (And thank goodness for all those slates of Zora history, THAT DELICIOUS LORE).

It was yet another day Sidon had been given off from his royal duties, and that (naturally) he had chosen to spend with you. Though he would have enjoyed spending time with you regardless of what you did together, he was especially hoping to see if you’d been practicing the archery skills he’d taught you.

You hadn’t practiced, really. At least, you hadn’t done any shooting, though you had practiced the proper stance and pulled back the string on your bow a little bit. But Sidon didn’t know that. And even if he did think you had practiced, and you still under-performed, he wouldn’t be upset with you.

So, the two of you set out, walking onto the bright blue stone bridge leading into the Domain. Your arms were laden down with his bow and your own as well as two quivers, because you were going to get less wet than Sidon was (hopefully). He dove from the bridge, doing a little flip to show off and landed with a small splash. You applauded as best you could with your arms full, and he beckoned for you to join him.

While you could have just taken the long way down to the water, walking off the bridge and cutting down the hill it rested on, it was going to be faster to do it this way, even if you weren’t sure you wanted to do it.

Oh well. Nothing tested your trust in him like this did. You took a deep breath and shifted all the archery gear to one arm, to use the other to get up onto the bridge’s braces. You let out the breath you’d taken and dropped from the bridge, letting out a short scream before you landed in Sidon’s arms, lifting the archery gear above your head to keep it dry—or dri _er_.

He kissed your cheek—a rare occurrence, since he still didn’t have a perfect grasp on kissing and was afraid to hurt you if teeth got involved by mistake… again—and murmured “Well, it would appear love has indeed fallen right into my lap. And they said it was impossible!” much to your delight, making you giggle.

“Well, thank the goddesses you caught me,” you replied, “or you’d have a soggy spouse _and_ a ruined bow!”

“The bow is more likely to be irrevocably damaged by getting wet, but it’s ultimately replaceable,” he told you, “so it’s less important that it survived the drop than you, dearest.” You smiled and pulled the gear to your chest as he rolled up under you, using a foot to spread your legs, until he was floating with you straddling him. “There, that’s better.”

You nodded. “So where are we headed?”

He shrugged. “The first fairly deserted bit of riverbank I see, I suppose.”

“What about over there?” You pointed, and Sidon tried to follow your gaze and finger, rolling his head back into the water.

“I—oh, over there? All right.” He paddled over to the outcropping of land and let you crawl off him, then burst out of the water himself. “Now, show me what you remember from our last lesson, beloved.”

You stood up straighter, rolled your shoulders back and held your bow at your side, feeling the string against your elbow.

“Good, good,” he said, holding out your quiver and letting you pluck an arrow out of it. You nocked it, then ran your fingers down the bowstring, getting a feel for the tension before you raised it. You positioned your fingers around the arrow nock, and pulled back on the string as you raised your arm. You tilted the bow to keep the arrow steady, shut one eye, and took aim at a spot on the rock wall across the water from you. “Now fire.” He said. You let the arrow go, striking where you had aimed near-perfectly.

You shrieked in excitement, and Sidon looked up at the arrow sticking out of the rock. “Excellent!” He picked you up and spun you around, making you shriek giddily again. “You’re learning very quickly and doing very well,” he said, putting you down.

“Thank you. Hey, wait.”

“Yes?”

“Where’s that one blue slate thing with Zora history on it?” You looked up and down the river. “Isn’t it supposed to be on this river?”

Sidon laughed and turned you around. “It’s behind us.”

You looked at it, whispering “oh.” You paused, then asked him, “What does it say?”

“It tells the story of the white scale, how an old queen sewed one of her scales—white scales that only female Zora have—to her husband the king’s armor, and how it saved the lives of him and his men, and how that’s why Zora princesses make armor for their intended spouses.”

You turned back towards the arrow you had shot. “I see.”

“Beloved, that brings up something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Oh, no. “Yes, Sidon?”

“I just thought you might like to know, the Zora were upset with you at first because we were… doing things wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“As the _prince_ , I had no responsibility to make you armor, especially because you aren’t a Zora; not only was I breaking traditional roles, I was doing it for a Hylian. That upset the elders and all. At least when my sister did so, it was in accordance with her role as the prin _cess_.”

“I see. Well, what are my obligations now?” You shot another arrow, this one slightly less accurately. You weren’t really focused on shooting, but at least it gave you something to do with your hands, and something to think about other than how guilty you felt that Sidon had gone to such trouble for you. You nocked another arrow, exhaling as you closed one eye. “And what about that cravat? That was the best I could do; you’re already pretty armored up, and I don’t have scales.” You let the arrow fly. It hit the wall with a satisfying smack, but bounced off, leaving a chip in the wall and the other arrows vibrating.

“I know, dearest. That’s what I told them, and that’s when they relaxed on it a little, though I think they would have preferred your hair be involved or something.”

“M-hm.”

“But your obligation now is just to get a collar made for your coronation.”

“My what?” you let go of the bowstring prematurely, sending the arrow limply into the water, and letting the bowstring hit your arm. You hissed and grabbed at your forearm, doubling over.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. I’ll ice it later.” You stood up again, holding your bow at your side. “What coronation?”

“Well, it’s not quite a coronation, actually, because we aren’t being crowned king and consort, but… you’ll be collared as part of the royal family.”

“I’m willing, but why?”

“For Zora, it’s decorative neck support. But your neck—” he ran a finger under your jaw— “is shorter than ours, so it’s just sparkle for you.”

You giggled at the brush of his hand, and the idea of “sparkle.”

“Oh, and one more thing,” he said.

“What’s that?”

“I know we’re technically already married and all, but the secrecy of the ceremony bothered some people,” you knew he probably meant Muzu, “and so they’ve asked Kapson to come back to the Domain and do the ‘official’ wedding where everyone can witness it, and then the collaring right away.”

“…oh. But we already had the big party and all that.”

Sidon sighed. “I know. I didn’t say I liked it, I just want to keep everyone happy.”

You sighed now, too, faking boredom. “I know.”

Sidon smiled, clearly gearing up for a witty remark. “You’re not unwilling to marry me a second time, are you? Do you regret your decision?”

Your eyes widened in shock, but quickly, you smiled back. “Of course not. You know what else?”

“What, my pearl?”

You moved closer to him, so close you had to tilt your head back to see his face. He bent a little, laughing to himself, and then you answered, in a sultry whisper, “we get a second honeymoon.”


End file.
